We travel now to the land of Austria for a post-black metal masterpiece and soon-to-be staple in the collections of those most devoted to the style.

Harakiri For The Sky is perhaps more appropriately described as a band whose signature comes from their own hand but that same hand has made a fist in salute to different styles; black metal, death metal, post-black metal etc.

From the press release: ” the band’s aim has always been to create a unique mixture of melancholy and aggression, madness and meaning, and wrapped in alternately manic/mellow songs that bridged black metal and atmospheric post-rock.”

To those unfamiliar with the band, Harakiri For The Sky initially began as a studio project by Bifröst member M. S. joined by vocalist/lyricist J. J. Anticipation for a follow-up since their highly-acclaimed III-Trauma album has been incredible. If you are a new fan to the band, think “mid-career Paradise Lost or Dark Tranquility on Monster energy drinks.”

Fortunately for those in anticipation, they will not be met with one iota of disappointment.

Arson is as solid as they come with not a bad moment from point A to point B. While the album does bare some qualities to post-black metal, it does stretch the boundaries a bit while removing a lot of the reverb and ether. There is a healthy variance of parts with a lot of tremolo picking over mid-tempo beats. At moments such as in “Heroin Walz,” however, the musical roles are oddly but effectively reversed as lightning-fast blast beats are coupled with notes played at a slower pace. This leads us to believe that this is a band mindful of diversity and balance while staying true to their form and mission.

Heavily melodic without being completely overdone is Arson. Tracks like “You Are The Scars” are emotion-heavy with enough power to draw down clouds while maintaining a balance of nostalgia and hope.

Arson contains 7 tracks and is one of those cases where you forget that the some of the songs are on the longer side because it holds your attention for the duration of the recording.

Arson will be released on February 16 on AOP Records. VERY highly recommended.